by Mackenzy Fox
Thank you to my amazing PA Savannah – check her out at @peachykeenas on Instagram and [email protected] - she’s amazing and I could never have finished on time without you or got any decent teasers made. She also formatted my book (happy dance) and gave me lots of good advice and totally revamped my social media. Virtual hugs and kisses!
Thank you to Laura Wilkinson my amazing Editor (you can find her on Fiverr under: lmwilkinson)
Thank you to LJ from Mayhem Cover Creations for Steel’s amazing cover and my website
Lastly thank you to all the bloggers, readers and kind people who have messaged me, encouraged me, shared my posts and just been AMAZING, I would have certainly not had the courage to finish if not for your support. I hope to continue on this journey with you for many moons to come!
Please take a few moments to leave an Amazon and Goodreads review if you enjoyed Steel, this helps me tremendously as a new indie author! Thanks in advance.
All my love xx
About the Author
Mackenzy Fox is an author of contemporary and erotic themed romance novels. When she’s not writing she loves vegan cooking, walking her beloved pooch’s, reading books and is an expert on online shopping.
She’s slightly obsessed with drinking tea, testing bubbly Moscato, watching home decorating shows and has a black belt in origami. She strives to live a quiet and introverted life in Western Australia’s North West with her hubby, twin sister and her dogs.
Find me:
Facebook
Instagram
Goodreads
https://mackenzyfox.com
COMING SOON
Gunner – Book 2
EXCERPT……
Liliana
7 years earlier………….
Nothing’s changed as I glance around the clubroom, except tonight it smells more like testosterone on steroids than stale beer. The usual Saturday night party is in full swing; loud music blares, some guys are playing pool, scantily clad women are strewn around here, there and everywhere, and Ginger’s behind the bar serving drinks like nobodies business.
It’s not the place for somebody like Steel’s little sister, my brother being the Sergeant at Arms of the club, and it’s definitely not the place for an underage girl, not that the brothers would do anything sinister, more like they’d send us packing out of here quick smart with an ass whooping.
I haven’t seen Gunner since I was twelve, now he’s back in Bracken Ridge prospecting for the club.
I guess you can take the boy out of the town but there was no taking the town out of this boy.
When Deanna, the club President’s daughter, told me Gunner was back in town I knew I wanted to spend my spring break back home to try and see him, secretly, just a glance, to see if he’s just as I remember. He’s always been sweet and kind to me, never treated me like a child, and he’s drop dead gorgeous, or at least he was, I’m dying to see what he looks like now, it’s been years.
Deanna’s tugging on my arm, gabbling in my ear. I don’t know how long we’ll hold out before we get caught or someone realizes we shouldn’t be there, everyone seems too absorbed in their Saturday night to notice us, but I don’t care, just getting a look at him is worth the punishment.
Deanna walks in like she owns the place. I wish I had her confidence.
“We shouldn’t really be doing this,” I whisper, if I run into my brother then the night will be over instantly, he won’t be happy. I glance here and there as we walk but I don’t see him, please don’t let him be here.
“Relax, nobody will question it if we look like we’re invited,” she says over her shoulder.
She’s probably right. When you’re the MC President’s daughter nobody questions anything.
We get a couple of nods from a few of the guys who don’t know any better, Ginger stops and gives us a pointed look as she pours a beer but we ignore it and pass by quickly before she can stop us.
“Crap Ginger saw us,” I whisper worriedly, once we’re past her hawk eyes.
“Just be cool,” Deanna reassures me, she keeps walking unaffected.
Famous last words.
“What’s the big plan anyway?” I wonder, hoping she has one.
“You wanna perve on Guns and I wanna see Amelia and party, hopefully somewhere in all of that we’ll get some free beer too.”
Urgh, I hate beer.
Amelia is Brock’s younger sister, the Vice President of the club, she’s been away at college and we rarely ever get to catch up unless it’s spring break or Christmas.
We find Amelia pretty quickly; she’s standing with a group of other older girls who are all done up to the nines.
I do not dare to think what will happen if Hutch, Deanna’s father, catches us here, I shudder at the thought. The President of the club is many things, but he definitely won’t approve of us hanging out partying underage, no definitely not, I don’t like the thought of him telling us off, he’s one of the few people scarier than my brother.
We get slipped a beer and try not to hide my disgust as I sip it, hoping to blend in.
The girls at my school don’t party like these girls. I’ve made some good friends at boarding school and I know my mom is trying to give me the very best for my future, but my future’s always belonged in Bracken Ridge. This is my home, these are my people, I don’t know how I’m going to tell her I want to come home after I graduate. I don’t want to go to university, I want to go to beauty school, but mom has big plans for me, as does Steel, plans they seem to want to make without my say-so.
“Don’t look now….” Deanna says in my ear nudging me, I follow her subtle nod over to one of the tables behind me.
I turn and look over my shoulder. The first thing I see is the back of a Prospect cut and a mop of blonde shaggy hair. Gunner.
His cut’s sleeveless and he’s wearing a tight fitted henley underneath it. His hair’s longer, still sunshine blonde but it’s tied back, he moves around collecting empty glasses into a large container and he turns side on giving me a better look. Both sides of his head are shaved, so he has a Mohawk thing going on, his eyes still down concentrating on his job and my breath hitches in my chest as he turns to face us.
There he is, in all his glory. As gorgeous as ever if not more so, unlike me he’s not sixteen anymore, he’s grown from a boy to a man. His skin’s slightly tanned from the outdoors, he’s taller, broader, his arms fill out the tight sleeves of the henley well and he’s got heavy, silver rings adorning his knuckles and chains and beads hanging all around his neck and up his arms. He is the epiphany of everything a man should be and everything I can’t have.
I cannot keep my eyes in my head.
A biker shouldn’t be that pretty, I think he’s even trying to look bad ass with the Mohawk thing. He’s got a small goatee thing happening too, I hope though he doesn’t decide to grow it too long and cover up that beautiful face, my eyes linger and travel down his body…..I can’t even.
I hear Deanna giggle next to me.
“You’ve got it bad,” she says, nudging me with her shoulder.
I shove her back, my eyes still on him, “I do not.”
“Uh huh, yeah you do.”
“I haven’t seen him in a while that’s all, I’m allowed to look.” I mutter.
Like a siren call, his eyes flick up toward me suddenly, he looks down and then immediately back up again quickly, momentarily stopping what he’s doing.
Shit, shit, double shit.
He bites his lip and a slow smile spreads across his face as he gives me a chin lift followed by a cheeky wink. He doesn’t wave though, or say hi, or come over and I have to admit I’m a little miffed; he’s known me since I was three for god’s sakes.
He’s a prospect, I remind myself. That means he can’t come over and socialize; he’s working, and he won’t do that until he’s been dismissed from his duties, which may be never, tonight it looks like he’s Gingers bitch and she’s keeping him on his toes.<
br />
I look away, embarrassed to be caught openly staring and when I get the guts to look back he’s moved on to another table and begins wiping that one down too with a cloth as he stacks more glasses up.
My heart hammers in my chest at the mere sight of him, his crystal blue eyes like sparkling topaz, full of promise. I know now why I’m not interested in any of the guys at school, because nobody compares to him.
Every now and again I get a glance at him passing by as he tidies up, moving around unnoticed, and every now and again our eyes meet and he smirks, each time I look away and I know I look like a loser but I don’t care.
After a while the girls want to dance, Deanna and another girl Stacey drag me out onto the dance floor and we begin to shake our groove. It’s dark and the music is blaring, some of the guys nearby watch us and whistle and cat call as we dance, it’s probably good it’s dark so we don’t get too noticed.
I move to the beat as we dance and giggle and carry on like idiots, it feels good to let loose, this is a far cry from the afternoon tea parties I have at boarding school, if only my Headmistress could see me now.
I look up across the room and see that Gunner is staring at me. I keep moving as I watch him; I raise my arms up in the air and move my body to the beat. His eyes drop down and rake my body, they linger on my breasts in my tight tank top and move slowly down, he’s checking me out, I feel a thrill run through me that warms my insides. He should not be looking at me like that.
Holy shit.
I break eye contact and I have to excuse myself to go to the bathroom, I have to splash cold water on my face before I combust. When I come out of the ladies I run right into a brick wall, when I look up I realize I’ve run right into Gunner.
I gulp as he smirks to himself.
“You’re beautiful,” he shouts over the music as he stares down at me, “what’s your name?”
I laugh and look down momentarily, then I meet his gaze as he’s waiting reply a reply.
What the hell?
I think about it for a millisecond…is there a chance he really doesn’t know who I am?
I mean, he’s not looking at me like he knows me, if he knew it was me, he’d have hugged me by now and then probably marched me right on out of here back home.
I guess I was twelve the last time I saw him, I definitely don’t resemble the kid I once was now at almost seventeen.
Suddenly a plan hatches in my brain. I want to applaud myself for my quick thinking.
He has no idea who I am….so I can be anybody, somebody he might want to make out with for example. If he finds out the truth, he won’t touch me with a ten-foot pole, I’m practically his surrogate sister…. That’s an awkwardly weird thought….
“Marie,” I tell him before my brain catches up with my mouth, well, it is my middle name so it’s only a little, teeny white lie.
He leans closer to me. “You’re gorgeous, how old are you?”
My heart is beating so fast it could jump out of my chest right now.
“Nineteen,” I lie, hoping he believes it.
His eyes graze down my body again and when he brings those blue eyes back up to mine I’m lost.
He leans to bend closer to my ear. “I’m on a break, you wanna go somewhere quiet?”
Say yes, say yes, say yes!
I nod, feeling like I’m in the twilight zone. My legs feel like jelly, I hope they don’t give out on me, that would be embarrassing.
“What did you have in mind?” I say, looking up at him, if not a little nervously……..
Book 2 available soon, please check my social media for release date! xx